Filing equipment



E. KERN FILING EQUIPMENT Filed May 23, 1940 Feb 24, 1942.

Patented Feb. 24, 1942 FILING EQUIPMENT Emil Kern, Long Island. City,N.-Y., assignor. to Ac'co' Products, Inc;,Lbng Island City, N. Y., a.corporation of New York 7 Application May 23,1940, Serial No. 336,761

Claims.

This application is a continuationin-part' of application Serial No.273,393, filed May 13, 1939. The invention relates to filing equipmentand more particularly to readily operable means adapted for detachablyclamping together blue prints, samples or similar sheet material forver-' tical filing or display.

Drawings, blue prints, samples or the like, are more readily filed forsafe keeping or displayed by detachably securing them to suspensionelements. .The elements are adapted to be remov ably mounted in verticalfiling cabinets or on racks of a type similar to those specificallydisclosed in Patents No. 1,867,158 and No. 1,867,159, both issued July12, 1932.

It is an object of the present invention to provide suspension elementsfor use in vertical filing equipment with novel rotatably and yieldablymounted means easily and quickly operated to removably clamp sheets tosaid units.

Another object is to provide novel means for attaching sheets to asuspension element which is capable of ready manipulation, to effectinsertion or removal of one or more of the sheets quickly.

Another object is to provide a suspension element with novellyconstructed means arranged tosupport and securely clamp sheets thereto.

The foregoing and such other objects of the invention as will appearhereinafter will be more readily understood from a perusal of thefollowing specification, wherein reference is had to the accompanyingdrawing, and where:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of a filing cabinetincluding a filing unit embodying features of the invention.

Fig 2 is an enlarged transverse sectional view of the filing unit shownin Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary front elevational view of the unitshown in Fig; 2.

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view of aunit having another form ofstud thereon.

In all figures, like numerals identify corresponding parts.

Sheets filed in vertical filing cabinets must, due to their beingsuspended adjacent one of their edges, be clamped or otherwise heldsecurely to their hanger or suspension element while at the same time,such mounting or clamps must be capable of easy and quick manipulationto afford removal or insertion of sheets with the least possible effort.It is to this end that the instant clamps are designed and, as bestshown in Fig. 1, said clamps, indicated generally at H, preferably arearranged in pairs on a slidable suspension element Ill. The: element l2maybe of any practical construction but, as illustrated,

preferably includes a substantially tubular upper margin ['3 whereby itmay be freely slid onto or off from a hanger arm or rod 14 In use, aplurality'of filing units, each consisting of a hanger armv l4 'andasuspension element 12,.preferably are pivotally mounted in a readilyaccessible position within a filing cabinet" [5. In the exemplaryarrangement illustrated in Fig. l, a support It, mounted in saidcabinet, preferably comprises a channel member having its flangesapertured to receive the down-turned end portion ll' of the hanger arm.l4, to provide independent horizontally movable suspension units.

The clamp I, best illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3,. includes-a projectionor retaining stud I8 which is firmly secured at one end to the elementI2, preferably by nuts I9. Sheets 2|, to be suspended, are suitablyapertured adjacent one edge to be received over the stud. The studillustrated is tubular and has diametrically aligned longitudinal slots22 extending inwardly from its free end.

An elongated or non-circular clamp plate 23, slidable in the stud slots22, is arranged to be drawn tightly against the sheets 2| by a spring 24contained within the stud. Upon moving the plate outwardly against theaction of said spring and then turning it substantially a quarter of arevolution, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3, sheets may be placed onor withdrawn from the stud. In this disclosure the sheets preferablyhave horizontally elongated apertures 25 to permit unrestricted passageof the sheets over the elongated clamp plate 23 when the latter is inits dotted line position.

In the disclosure in Fig. 4, the tubular stud l8a has a singlelongitudinal slot 22 extending inwardly from its free end and a clampfinger 26 pivotally mounted adjacent said end. As illustrated, the clampfinger may be moved into substantial parallelism with the stud and beheld in such position by a toggle spring 2'! thereby affording theaddition or removal of sheets 2|. The sheets are securely held to thesuspension element l2 by swinging the clamp finger upwardly into aposition against the sheets substantially as shown in dotted lines.Consequently, the sheets are adequately held to prevent theirinadvertent removal from the stud.

Although the disclosures embody difierent means for securely clampingand retaining sheets to a suspension element or other support, it isapparent: that, each embodies an inexpensive structure readily operableto aiford quick and easy insertion or removal and eflicient clamping ofsuch sheets; and that, the disclosures are illustrative rather thanrestrictive. It is, therefore, not desired that the invention be limitedto the precise disclosures but, that the invention embrace suchmodifications and variations in details structure as will fall withinthe spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a suspension unit, an element, a tubular stud fixedly mounted atone end on said element adapted to receive a plurality of sheets eachhaving an opening to register with the stud, said stud beinglongitudinally slotted at its free end, a movable member on the free endof said stud adapted when in one position of adjustment to align withthe openings in said sheets to permit their insertion or withdrawal oversaid stud and when in another of its positions to prevent such insertionor withdrawal, and a spring mounted within the tubular stud to maintainsaid member in said aligned position and when said memher is moved intoits other position to pull it along the longitudinal slot tightlyagainst the sheets on said stud and prevent displacement of said sheets.

2. In a suspension unit, an element, a tubular stud fixedly mounted onsaid element adapted to receive a plurality of sheets each having anopening to register with the stud, a movable member on the free end ofsaid stud adapted when in one position of adjustment to align with theopenings in said sheets to permit their insertion or withdrawal oversaid stud and when in another of its positions to prevent such insertionor withdrawal, and a spring mounted within the tubular stud to maintainsaid member in said aligned position and, when said member is moved intoits other position, to pull it tightly against the sheets on said studand prevent displacement of said sheets.

3. In a suspension unit, an element, a longitudinally slotted tubularprojection on said element adapted to receive a plurality of sheets eachhaving an elongated opening therein to register with said projection,and a spring controlled elongated clamp on said projection, said clampbeing adapted when in one position to align with the elongated openingsto permit insertion or withdrawal of sheets and when in another positionto be out of alinement with said openings and co-act with the slot inthe projection and tightly clamp the sheets against the element.

.4. In a suspension unit, an element, a tubular stud on said element,said stud being adapted to receive apertured sheets thereon, axiallyrotatable means on said stud movable into clamping position againstsheets thereon, and a spring in said stud operatively associated withsaid means to retain the latter in either of a plurality of positions.

5. In a suspension unit, an element, a tubular stud on said element,said stud being adapted to receive apertured sheets thereon, meanspivotally mounted on said stud movable into clamping position againstsheets thereon, and a toggle spring operatively associated with saidmeans to retain said means in either of a plurality of positions.

EMIL KERN.

